Using a Collocation Dictionary to Improve Your English

Using a Collocation Dictionary to Improve Your English One of the least appreciated tools for learning English is using a collocation dictionary. A collocation can be defined as words that go together. In other words, certain words tend to go with other words. If you think about how you use your own language for a moment, youll quickly recognize that you tend to speak in phrases or groups of words that go together in your mind. We speak in chunks of language. For example: Im tired of waiting for the bus this afternoon. An English speaker doesnt think of ten separate words, rather they think in the phrases Im tired of waiting for the bus and this afternoon. Thats why sometimes you may say something correctly in English, but it just doesnt sound right. For example: Im tired of standing for the bus this afternoon. To someone whos imaging the situation standing for the bus, makes sense, but standing goes together with in line. So, while the sentence makes sense, it isnt really correct. As students improve their English, they tend to learn more phrases and idiomatic language. Its also important to learn collocations. In fact, Id say its the single most under-used tool by most students. A thesaurus is very helpful to find synonyms and antonyms, but a collocations dictionary can help you learn the right phrases in context.   I recommend the Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English, but there are other collocation resources available such as concordance databases. Using a Collocation Dictionary Tips Try these exercises to help you use a collocations dictionary to improve your vocabulary. 1. Choose a Profession Choose a profession you are interested in. Go to the Occupational Outlook site and read the specifics of the profession. Take note of common terms that are used. Next, look up those terms in a collocations dictionary to extend your vocabulary by learning appropriate collocations. Example Aircraft and Avionics Key words from Occupational Outlook: equipment, maintenance, etc. From the collocations dictionary: Equipment Adjectives: the latest, modern, state-of-the-art, high-tech, etc.Types of Equipment: medical equipment, radar equipment, telecom equipment, etc.Verb Equipment: provide equipment, supply equipment, install equipment, etc.  Phrases: the proper equipment, the right equipment From the collocations dictionary: Maintenance Adjectives: annual, daily, regular, long-term, preventive, etc.Types of Maintenance: building maintenance, software maintenance, health maintenance, etc.Verb Maintenance: carry out maintenance, perform maintenance, etc.Maintenance Noun: maintenance personnel, maintenance costs, maintenance schedule, etc.   2. Choose an Important Term Choose an important term that you might use on a daily basis at work, school, or home. Look the word up in the collocations dictionary. Next, imagine a related situation and write a paragraph or more using important collocations to describe it. The paragraph will repeat the keyword too often, but this is an exercise. By repeatedly using your key term, youll create a link in your mind to a wide variety of collocations with your target word.   Example Key Term: Business Situation: Negotiating a contract Example Paragraph Were working on a business deal with an investment company who carries on business with profitable businesses throughout the world. We set up the business two years ago, but weve been very successful due to our business strategy. The CEOs business acumen is outstanding, so were looking forward to conducting business with them. The companys business headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas. Theyve been in business for more than fifty years, so we expect their business experience to be the best in the world. 3. Use the Collocations You Learn Make a list of important collocations. Commit to using at least three of the collocations each day in your conversations. Try it, its more difficult than you might think, but it really helps with memorizing new words.

The Definition of a C Algorithm

The Definition of a C Algorithm In general, an algorithm is a description of a procedure that terminates with a result. For example, the factorial of a number x is x multiplied by x-1 multiplied by x-2 and so on until it is multiplied by 1. The factorial of 6 is 6! 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1720. This is an algorithm that follows a set procedure and terminates in a result. In computer science and programming, an algorithm is a set of steps used by a program to accomplish a task. Once you learn about algorithms in C, you can use them in your programming to save yourself time and to make your programs run faster. New algorithms are being designed all the time, but you can start with the algorithms that have proven to be reliable in the C programming language. Algorithms in C In C, the designation identifies a group of functions that run on a designated range of elements. The algorithms are used to solve problems or provide functionality. Algorithms work exclusively on values; they dont affect the size or storage of a container. Simple algorithms can be implemented within a  function. Complex algorithms might require several functions or even a class to implement them. Classifications and Examples of Algorithms in C Some algorithms in C, such as find-if, search, and count are sequence operations that dont make changes, while remove, reverse, and replace are algorithms that modify operations. The classifications of algorithms with a few examples are: Non-modifying sequence modifications (find-if, equal, all_of)Modifying sequence operations (copy, remove, transform)Sorting (sort, partial sort, nth_element)Binary Search (lower_bound, upper_bound)Partitions (partition, partition_copy)Merge (includes, set_intersection, merge)Heap (make_heap, push_heap)  Min/max (min, max,min_element)   A list of the most common C algorithms and example code for many of them are available online in C documentation and on user websites.

Analysis of you as a communicator Research Paper

Analysis of you as a communicator - Research Paper Example The old working environment gave the most importance to employee presentation and communication skills but these are not that important in this new work environment. The question therefore arises on the type of communication in the new environment. A new communication channel has therefore gained importance which is currently the biggest communication tool in the entire world. Billions of people use it to communicate with each other using communication tools such as MSN, Facebook, Orkut etc. Thus before analyzing my communication skill, I would insist that internet communication is the most important form of communication in the modern age. Other than that fluency in the usage of language is also very important. The use of gestures in portraying once meaning is equally important in verbal communication. When we talk about written communication, in my perspective the most importance should be given to language quality and presentation. My communication skills are the most strong when it comes to online communication. This is because I have been addicted to computer gaming throughout my childhood. This was a blessing in disguise because it gave me a chance to understand and learn more about computers. I am very good at using different online communication tools. The most favorite tool of mine however is MSN messenger. Users these days are fonder of chatting applications installed on social networks. I am totally expert at using them but still prefer to use MSN messenger because of its extra features. As a member of debating team my childhood was spent in learning new methods of improving my spoken communication tools. This career was however did not endure. As is turns out I am not a natural speaker, and therefore left the debating team. This experience did create a shyness and hesitancy in my nature. I have from that day onwards considered myself a weak verbal communicator. This deficiency has been covered by my v ery good

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Case study - Essay Example Also, the tradition associated with a wine being a family wine with 238 years of history and being the third oldest wine maker in Germany brings charm to the product which could be its advantage over its competitors in the market. Johann is capitalizing on this by holding events in their estate to ensure customer retention. b. Weakness – expensive. Quality comes at a price and this makes the company hesitate to expand its reach in the market because of the cost associated not only in producing the wine, but also in marketing it (a tour in US costs EUR 5,000). c. Opportunities – the liberalization of the wine market provides an opportunity for Fitz-Ritter to expand to other markets abroad that would widen its market and customer base. d. Threat – new entrants in the market from the New World offering comparable taste at a lower price serves as a very potent threat to Fitz-Ritter. PESTEL a. Political – EU is protective of the German wine manufacturer where i t subsidizes the industry. The residue of the George Marshall fund serves as financing assistance to wine manufacturers such as Fitz-Ritter which could help ease the financing of its expansion should the company decide to expand its operation. b. Economic – competitors are flooding the EU market with comparable wines at a lower price which is devastating to the industry. c. Social – there is growing market for the Fitz-Ritter’s wines especially for middle class who would like to partake the wine to have the feeling of being in the upper class. d. Technological – Johann is embarking on the training of his employees to upgrade their technological capability to further improve their wine making. e. Environmental – acreage for growing grapes in Germany has already been allocated. Its implication makes the wine industry less competitive because it meant they have to squeeze more wine from the grape to lower the price which has a devastating effect on qu ality. f. Legal – EU government is on Germany’s wine makers side being protective of the industry from the foreign competition. Fitz-Ritter’s strategy is basically to promote the quality of the product by stressing its history and tradition; that it is a product of craftsmanship not by industrial process. This way, Johann is able to have a niche in the market. 2) What is Fitz- Ritter’s competitive advantage? How did the company manage to survive in a highly competitive wine business? To better determine Fitz-Ritter’s competitive advantage, it would be helpful to consider Porter’s Five Forces of competition to see how it fared in the highly competitive wine business. a. Threat of New Entrants – players from the New World are indeed a threat. They have comparable wines with lower prices. b. Determinants of Supplier Power – Fitz-Ritter grows their own grape and makes their own wine and such, suppliers has very little leverage on t he company. c. Rivalry Among Existing Firms – there may be rivalry among the old wine makers in Germany and EU but the rivalry is not considered to be disastrous to the industry. The threat of rivalry is being brought by new players from the New World instead of the old wine makers. d. Determinants of Buyer Power – Fitz-Ritter use exclusive distributor in the United States whom they can trust and Johann’s mother help in the promotional aspect of the product by giving the product’s comparative advantage which is tradition, quality and history a face whom the customers can

Management Essay Example for Free

Management Essay Our group feels that this question can be answered in 2 different ways namely, from the manager’s perspective or from the employee’s perspective for each aspect of Ajzen’s theory. 1. Attitude toward the behaviour  In this case, the ‘attitude’ here refers to that of the recession. From employees’ perspective – employees will be low in spirits and morale during a recession as they know that there is a high possibility that they will be retrenched by the company. From manager’s perspective – The manager will have a positive attitude about improving the performance of the employees during a recession because if they do not do so, the company will take a long time or never recover from the recession. The manager can improve the employee’s performance by a. Communicating with the employees about the recession and the possible impacts it will have on the workplace. b. Provide continuous feedback which includes occasional recognition and rewards to boost their morale. c. Attribute the employees’ consistent performance and update them on the state of the economy. 2. Subjective norm From employees’ perspective – employees feel that they should not give in their 100% at work in times of a recession as the likelihood of being retrenched is still prominent, so why work so hard? They are pressured by their peers to act in this manner. From manager’s perspective – managers are pressured by the top management (CEOs, shareholders) to think of ways to improve the employees’ performance. Such methods are as mentioned earlier above. 3. Perceived Behavioural Control  From employees’ perspective – it is very easy to succumb to peer pressure and not give in their best in their work in times of a recession. From manager’s perspective – managers are completely in charge on their intention to improve the employees’ performance during a recession as it is their job to do so.

POlitical Campaign Advertising Essay -- essays research papers

Since 1952, television has played a major role in presidential elections. Television allows candidates to reach a broad number of people, and personalities, to help push along their campaigns. Campaigns help the candidates just as much as the voters. The candidates get to be identified, and known to the voters, and the voters get to hear and see how a specific candidate identifies with their needs and wants. The best way to get this information out there is through the most used form of media, television.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When candidates develop a plan of attack for campaign advertising, they tend to aim for at least four types of commercials. One form or type of commercial is those which play on the fears of countrymen. Fear is a good emotion to play on, if your opponent is â€Å"unknown or untested† nationally. Instill in fear of the opponent is a good way to gain the upper hand in an election, because if people don’t feel their president can make safe and smart decision, nine times out of ten they will not want that person in office. In the past the â€Å"fear† factor, made people think what if? And in return they start to second guess who they want in office.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the election of 2004, the bush campaign ran an advertisement; whose focus was to act on the fear of Americans. The bush campaign ran an ad titled â€Å"Finish It† (1). This ad showed that the war in Iraq was necessary, and needed, and if John Kerry was elected to office the harmful acts against America would go unpunished. I didn’t particular like this ad, but I think the message was clear and a lot of Americans identified with this ad. The impact of this ad, caused myself and many others to think, that if we elect a new president in war time, what would happen to the people in Iraq, and more importantly what would happen to the troops.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another type of commercial that campaigns look to run is the â€Å"real people† ad, or the ads that show the candidate to be â€Å"just like everyone else†. These ads are used to connect with the people, and show how a candidate relates to the needs and wants of everyone. When people get the feeling that a candidate can relate to their needs and wants, they lean more toward supporting that candidate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Campaigns allow the candidate to reach out to prospective voters and get the issues o... ... there attitude. On the republican side you had an overwhelming amount of ads that made Senator Kerry seem like a person who you could not trust, and a person who only looks out for his own best interest. Where as on the democratic platform you have ad that show Americans rallying together, you have ads that appeal to a sensitive, family oriented nation that just want to feel safe and secure. The democratic ads are warm and caring, while the republican ads are cold and stern.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unlike ads of the past the ads displayed in the 2004 election were heavily focused on information and factual content. The voters are forced to make a decision on war, foreign affairs, and military issues. The scope and focus of the ads form both political parties were mainly to get voted in the ever so popular electoral swing states. I think the ad were obviously effective due to the outcome of the election. Political ad make all of the difference when it come to those state who are on the border and you never know which way the electorate will vote. And Negative ads play an even bigger role because people always forget the good things about a person and always remember the bad.

Apple’s Inc. Operations Management Essay

Apple’s Inc. Operations Management IntroductionDefinitively, the term operations management refers to the decisions, responsibilities and activities of managing the assets dedicated towards the manufacture and distribution of a service or a product. Successful companies are majorly dependent on use of operation management technology to facilitate the big changes and technological demands of the world markets. The use of technology to influence the working pace of employees and to speed up consumer transactions within a business environment is vital in uplifting a company. All of these aspects are pegged on the day to day business operations within the company. The focus of this particular report aims to highlight on the major and evident processes carried out in one of the most successful tech companies in the world, Apple Inc (Boyer & Verma, 2010). This company both offers an innovative and competitive edge within the global market. It is one of the highly efficient companies in the global technological sector given its year after year maintenance of its consumer base and profit margins. The corporation endures to lead the tech industry by achieving the demands of its clients via its rapid innovation of new or improvised products. Some of its products entail the award winning computer operating system applications like the iLife application, the Professional applications and the OS X (Boyer & Verma, 2010). The strategic operation management policies at Apple Inc. have proven to be impeccable since it’s’ establishment in the year 1977. The Apple Inc. Company has been committed to delivering the best quality services to the end users of its products through promoting a satisfactory user experience in their digital products. Throughout the course of this report, the paper content will highlight on the major management and operation strategies undertaken by the company to ensure the clients are always kept happy (Greasley, 2008). The business operation strategy mainly involves expanding its distribution network within every country and its institutions. The institutions include government markets, small to medium businesses, enterprises and the education sector. In order to maintain a high-quality purchasing experience for the company’s products, the Company continues to make plans on the expansion schemes (O’Grady, J. D.2009). These proposed systems are aimed at improving the distribution abilities of the company. The significant plan of action highlighted in the paper involves the steps taken towards the expansion of the number of the Apple Inc. Company’s retail stores worldwide. Current Operations StrategyThe consistent and constant introduction of hardware and software applications by the Apple Inc. Company has enabled it to maintain a large and increasing customer foundation. Not only does the Apple Inc. operate in the United States of America, but also in various international markets within the global market. The existing operational functions in the company mainly depend on the factors the operating environment of the organization, and they mainly include the political and economic elements within the environment of business operation (O’Grady, J. D.2009). The main political factors affecting the operations of the Apple Company comprise issues regarding policy compliance in different countries like political instability. The economic factors affecting the business operations include the periodic changes in the value of the U.S dollar versus the local currency. Nevertheless, the company has been able to maintain a stable shareholder return on investment within all its years of business (Kamauff, 2010). The key issues involved within the management operation strategies are discussed below in detail: Operations functionsThe operational functions within an organization define the unit roles or the organizational parts responsible for particular activities within the organization. The operational management functions identified at the Apple Company entail communication services and support distribution of products to warranted suppliers and retailers (Linzmayer, 2004). The Apple Company has major distribution channels and production subsidiaries, for example, in the Asian continent mainly in China and Korea. The basic roles of the operations managers in the Apple Company are listed below: Roles of the Operations ManagerThe significant roles assigned to operations managers in the Apple Company aid in streamlining business operations while maintaining the value of the company. The managers are also expected to practice and abide by the principles of management by conducting all business activities ethically, honestly and with full compliance (Nersesian, 2000). The company regulations require and anticipate the operation managers to accomplish the following responsibilities in the Apple Inc. Company to ensure smooth running of operations: Make PoliciesThe operations manager is obligated with the task of policy making and implementing them to conform to the Apple Company’s mission statements and vision. The operations manager ought to ensure that the set policies are effective in the business environment and that they are being put to proper use. Some of the policies employed by operations managers at the Apple Company include examining the expected performance level for workers, the employee retention, the employee safety regulations, etc. Furthermore, the operation managers are also tasked with making sure the business follows all national government legalities and other rules set by the company (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2008). Solve ProblemsThe operations manager works towards achieving the company objectives and subsequently presents project plans to improvise the business operations. The managers demonstrate their skills through facilitating decision-making strategies that solve organizational problems related to business operations. The operations managers try to resolve different issues in the day to day operations of the Apple Company (Parker & Anderson, 2013). Some of the areas that require problem in the Apple Company include issues regarding the client retention, the matters concerning the delays in shipment, the customer satisfaction index and the quality of services. The operation managers possess the problem solving skills necessitated for risk management within the Apple Company, which is why the managers are expected to be good at making fast decisions related to the Company’s operational processes (Cooke, 2012). Manage FinanceThe management of the budget allocated for business operations is also vital for an operations manager. The finances for operational costs are well managed by the managers in order to ensure the business does not succumb to any losses. The Apple Corporation utilizes its financial resources to positively safeguard its day to day operations within all its major departments (Young, 2009). In order to track and optimize company spending, the managers are mandated to prepare periodical budget reports for the Apple Company’s senior management. Operation managers are expected to maintain and successively collect information regarding sales, grow the profit margins and reduce overall operational costs. Coming up with business forecasts that aid in future decision-making processes is vital in realizing efficient ways for handling the corporations operational costs (Cao & Zhang, 2013). The consistency in revenue generation and profit making is pegged on the manager’s ability to regulate the expenditure. Enable Communication (Company Representative)The smooth flow of communication within the organization is vital to accomplish all the business processes. The communication between all the entities involved in the operational processes enables the company operations manager to successfully ensure delivery of services to both the suppliers and direct clients within the global market. The operations manager ought to ensure there is a consistent understanding and no miscommunication amid the top-level management and the employees (Mahadevan, 2010). Their responsibility is to ensure there is a good understand at all times so that the business operations are dealt with in the right manner. Therefore, resolve any misunderstandings and disputes at the earliest time are essential to run effective operations. Having exceptional interpersonal and communication skills is also appropriate for an operations manager. This enables them deal with people and treat them in a formal and ethical way. Manage LogisticsManaging the logistics within the Apple organization is a vital job for the operations managers. For instance, ensuring that the machinery used in product manufacture are up to the industry standards and the subsequent goods and services offered are of high quality. The operations managers analyze the current state of logistics in the Company and conclude whether there is any need for changes to be implemented (Nicolà ¡s & Sanz, 2014). Human Resource ManagementHuman resource management is vital in selecting an appropriate employee base that maintains successive business operations that are profit making. All the elements of the business operation process are highly dependent on the specific roles for each specialized employee all the way down to the lowest wage bill within the company. The managers have the obligations to assign tasks to various employees within the organization. Employing new workers is also a major responsibility for the managers at the Apple Company. Process ManagementThe process management forms the vital section of the operational activities within the business. A smooth management process ensures that goods and services are delivered to the clients. The business processes in Company involve manufactures or the producers, the wholesalers they supply the products to, the retailers, the consumers and most importantly the customer inquiry and feedback service. The manufacturers mainly deal with the design and development of the products or specified service. The products include the hardware devices accompanied with software material. The Sales teams are tasked with running activities that promote the amount of product supply within the client base. The Apple Company majorly relies on wholesalers and retailers to supply and distribute the Company’s products. The consumers additionally have access to an all-time available customer support in all time zones the Apple Company or its affiliates conduct business. The business operations processes are demonstrated on process chart below. It highlights the main elements that support the Apple Company (Lashinsky, 2012). 2008977337820Manufacturers/Producers 0Manufacturers/Producers Process Chart296648421429000 7581902590800075755525908005178056255935003912781255935020110452540Suppliers (Sales and Marketing Team) 0Suppliers (Sales and Marketing Team) 495935026098500 -243205149860Retailers 0Retailers 421894095885Wholesalers 0Wholesalers 651702198490005167423194975001711325317500 39127812489500064858624895000201492136830Consumers 0Consumers 29663816858000 2007899-7251Consumers Support 0Consumers Support Customer service strategiesThe customer care center section of the company is vital to up keeping the image and social responsibility the company has towards its customers. The plans put in place within the business operations platform to support the customers comprise: Staying Online– This service allows the customers who include the individual clients, retailers and wholesalers to contact the Apple Support team regarding any issues. The clients can submit online tickets or use self-service online chats that provide prompt feedback regarding various issues whether they are technical, logistics or even for educational purposes. Make Service Delivery a priority – utilizing a well-trained workforce to manage the customers always comes first for any organization. The Apple Company ensures that all of their working staff from the sales team, the online or phone customer service maintains a high level of courteous conduct when dealing with customers. Store collective Wisdom – This strategy sets up a system that offers ready information for the support team to respond to the client complaints and inquiries. Information collection, recording and storage ensure the Apple Company maintains a database of client information regarding customer care. This ensures there is a constant flow of accurate information for the staff to use while dealing with customer complaints. Staff Empowerment – This policy has saved the company a lot of paper work and time for solving client problems. Streamlining the hierarchy or line authority within the operational sections of the Corporation has enabled the company frontline representatives to solve client problems. Empowering low level employees with ability to make certain decisions based on good judgment is good for the business (Nicolà ¡s & Sanz, 2014). Client Understanding – The Apple Corporation has a simple Web-based customer relationship management software (CRM) application that helps the support team interact with the customer. Having a database of client info affiliated with their Apple IDs ensures the management team understands the consumer behavior. Managing Client Relationships – Retaining special treatment of the customers is vital for keeping up the Apple Company’s image. This is achieved via reward programs that satisfy customer loyalty. Establishing a track record of quality provision through identifying and gratifying valuable clients that use the company’s products. Managing capacity and demandManaging the capacity and demand of the Company has been facilitated by the globalization of the Apple Company’s operations. Globalization of sales enables the clients all around the world to access the services offered by the Apple Company. The constant demand held by the Apple product’s market gets its support from the multiple chain suppliers and the wholesale product sellers with the help with the production entities. The demand for Apple products is increasing especially in two large emerging markets, China and India where the demand for the latest iPhone 6 product went above 10 million on the first weekend of release. The customer demand has to be predicted and the production demand satisfied on the manufacturing end. The Apple Company serves the worldwide market with approximately 437 Apple retail stores in 15 countries all over the world. Localization of production in places like china has enabled the company increase its productivity while maintaining a low cost labor force which saves on the any additional operational costs (Latif, Jaskani, Ilyas & Gulzar, 2014). Inventory managementThe Apple Company has a disciplined Inventory management team. This can be seen from historic consistency on level of efficiency with the inventory. This is also indicated by how long the company takes to sell through its entire inventory. The number of days it takes for inventory movement was average of 5.3 for the latest product unraveled in the market. This is very low compared to other high performing tech companies like Dell or HP which had 10.2 and 26.5 approximated days respectively to move inventory. The inventory turnover facts also support the incredibly efficient inventory system given high inventory turnover the company has over a small periods of time (Abraham, 2014). Scheduling operationsThe system put significantly helps the management keep track of the dales. The devices are designed and developed in a high quality industrial and manufacturing companies which are in turn delivered to distribution channels and systems around the world. Scheduling operations are accomplished through job tracking all the involved facilities responsible for the delivery of the product to the consumer. The scheduling operations involve activities in the production centers, the distribution channel, and the purchasing point outlets. The time frame and location of operations are also entailed in the scheduling plans to showcase the scheduling activities planned for the company. Forecasting demand and foreseeing sales levels are also vital to scheduling operations. Process analysis and improvementThe Apple Company is endlessly working to be on the forefront of cutting edge technology. That is why its process analysis and improvement environment continues to conduct research towards discovering new and innovative technology for the Apple Company’s prospective clients (Cornelissen, 2014). The operations manager is expected to look into the various operating departments within the company and identify the specific areas that need improvement. The analysis conducted identified a few processes that limit company’s operations. Some of the flaws that needed to be improved on included the periodic system failures in certain locations that threaten to impede the engineering and shipping of products. System failures may also hinder successful delivery of online services, financial reporting and processing of transactions. Other areas that need improvisation is the relationship management between the company and the retailers, the macroeconomic factors within the business environment which may lead to unforeseen fluctuation in sales if they are not positively addressed (Abraham, 2014). Purchasing and supplier managementThe Apple Company supply and purchasing model is majorly dependent on its dedicated client base which offers a steady market for the company’s products. The company’s main client foundation is vast which has made it possible to supply a wide range of products consistently for a long period of time. The main operations involved in the company majorly entail the design and development of hardware and software applications. Lean Management within the OrganizationThis is a process within an organization that involves the efficient removal of waste from the entire aspects of the daily operations. Where, the consideration of wastes involves the loss or use of resources that doesn’t lead to product creation or service provision with regards to customers’ expectations (Cornelissen, 2014). Therefore, APPLE Corporation benefits much as there is increased efficiency in management. The purpose of adoption of lean management by Apple Inc. includes; the need to increase customer responsiveness, to minimize production resource needs and costs minimization, and to enhance quality of products hence increasing the firm’s competitiveness and profitability. According to Apple’s highlights of audits conducted in 2011 in the company’s 2012 Supplier Responsibility Report, violations that occurred and corrective measures that occurred with their outsourcing supply chain and manufacturing representative is clearly illustrated. This shows the need for the firm and its subsidiaries to adopt lean management as part of their business. Lean management is implemented through application of numerous tools and methods that include; Total Productive Maintenance 5S Just-in-time Production/KanbanCellular Manufacturing/ One-piece Flow Production Systems Pre-Production Planning (3P) Six Sigma Lean Enterprise Supplier Networks Kaizen rapid improvement process The firm’s adoption of lean management is to achieve immense service and product quality at the minimum cost possible and at maximum customer responsiveness. This efficiency in management is attained through applications of objectives including; Increasing the flexibility and velocity of manufacturing Minimizing service and product resource requirements in the form of materials and capital invested. This reduces the costs of production allowing for the ease of alterations and mixing of products developed. Improving the initial quality of the product Implementation of lean management minimizes costs of operation with regards to resource allocations, equipment downtime, and rework thereby optimizing the production process. For instance, lean methods implementation at Warner Robins U.S. Air Force Base in Georgia has minimized the duration it takes for the overhaul of a C-5 transport plane from an approximate 360 days to 260 days. This has immense effect on the resource allocation for the Air Force since minimized maintenance time of 30% requires that a lower inventory of planes is kept. Therefore, this increases the aircraft’s flying status by 10% as a result the total cost of the in-service target is greatly minimized (Cornelissen, 2014). Capacity Management within the organizationThe capacity requirements for the company APPLE Inc. is defined by the short term and long term planning conducted by the organization’s management. The planning process is important in determining how the needs are to be fulfilled. The company’s capacity planning decisions are dependent on the market demands and the management aligns its materials, human, and financial resources. The evaluation of the company’s capacity requirements is from two perspectives including; short-term capacity strategies and long-term capacity strategies. Short-term capacity strategiesThe organization’s managers every so often use the product’s demands to approximate the work load that the company can handle in the short-term since managers anticipate output requirements for various products and services within a short period of 12 months. Requirements comparison with the available resources is done to ascertain the particular capacity alterations that are necessary. The short-term business periods are characterized by unchanged facilities hence making fundamental capacity to remain fixed within the period (Cousins, Lawson & Squire, 2006). The necessary alterations to the capacity is determined by whether the product can be stored as inventory, the conversion process is labor intensive or capital intensive. The processes, that are capital intensive, rely heavily on plant, physical facilities, and equipment. Intense operation of the organization’s facilities can lead to the modification of the company’s short-term capacity. On the other hand, labor intensive processes alterations only involve the hiring or laying off of employees or by allowing certain workers more time. A product’s duration in storage as inventory would cause shifts in strategies for capacity alterations. The short-term capacity strategies that might be applied by the company include; Backlog; this is a strategy applied during periods when the business is at its peak. Customers, who are willing, are requested by the company to wait for the fulfillment of their orders at a much later date after the peak period. Inventories; During the periods of slow business or slack periods, the company opts to stock up finished goods so as to meet the customers’ demands during peak periods of business. Level of Employment; the company would re-structure the employment level through hiring and firing of employees depending on the fluctuation of demands during peak periods. Training of Employees; the company’s employees are required to be taken through multi-skilled training so as to allow job rotation for the employees. These multi-skills earned from the training assists the management in selecting alternatives for the hiring opportunities. Process design; Contents of the job are altered through redesigning the job Subcontracting; the company opts for subcontracting specific firms for temporary production of particular parts. This is a common process during peak hours. Long term capacity strategiesThe market dynamics and the rate of technology uptake in recent time have made it difficult for APPLE Inc. and other companies in the industry alike to determine the long-term capacity. This is because of the uncertainties in technology and consumer demand trends. This long-term strategy application in capacity management faces immense risk and increased challenges. APPLE’s recent unveiling of the new IPhone Series provides extensive leverage on the market to produce more products for the future and at a rate equal to consumer expectations (Heap, 2008). The long-term capacity necessities are determined by the company’s product development, marketing plans, and the products life cycle. The entire output level of the firm involving numerous alterations to the organization’s operation is accommodated by the long-term capacity planning process. Therefore, the firm’s management is responsible for the implementation and marketing the environmental assessment of the long-term capacity plans. However, the long-term capacity decisions may be affected by the following; Phasing in capacity; a technology company such as APPLE Inc. faces the risk of increased rate obsolescence. Therefore, the industry requirement is that swift roll-out of products is essential to the firm’s success. The duration of facilities construction is lengthy compared to the rate of product development and commercialization thereby rendering the facilities incapable. However, the firm may apply functions such as phase in capacity on segmental basis. In addition, the company would employ an effective method of technological breakthrough capitalizing via committing men and funds towards facilities for a duration of 3-5 years. Variety of products; for the company to increase its profitability it requires to produce a variety of products using the same facilities since this increases efficiency. Also, the manufacture of multiple products minimizes the risk of failure in the market and numerous products development increases the performance of capacity planners. Maximization of the firm’s capacity is achieved through proper scheduling as the different products have different life cycles. Phasing out capacity; the production facilities that are out of date result is extreme plant and machinery downtime and closures. The phasing out of capacity is done in a manner that is environmentally friendly minimizing the negative impacts to the consumer population since the impacts of closure extend beyond the fixed costs of plants and machinery. This phasing out process also creates the opportunity for the firm to sift employees to other job applications for an ongoing product development. APPLE Inc. needs to consider greatly the immense advantages that capacity planning and decisions offer the company thereby increasing operation efficiency. The benefits range from; There is real impact felt by capacity decisions affect the ability of the firm to achieve its future demands for the services and products since capacity basically minimizes the rate of possible output. Numerous opportunities would be capitalized on if the company has sufficient capacity to handle consumer demand. Operating costs are affected by capacity decisions since practically it is evident that the demand requirements and capacity are directly related. This means that a positive correlation existing between demand and capacity minimizes the costs of operation immensely. However, the actual demand and expected demand usually differs or cyclically varies thereby needing capacity decisions to assist in creation of balance of the costs of over and under capacity. Initial costs are majorly determined by the firm’s capacity. Normally, the costs are greater when the capacity of a productive unit is great. It is generally less expensive to modify or alter capacity decisions since they characteristically involve long-term resource allocation. This therefore limits the extent of major costs incurred. A firm’s competitiveness may be affected by the capacity decisions of the managers. The availability of excess capacity in a firm or increasing capacity may act as barrier to entry or push other firms out of business in the industry by other firms. This increases its competitive advantage. Management greatly benefits from efficiency in capacity decisions as it increases ease of operation and fluidity between departments involved in the production process. ConclusionsThe outcomes from the above analysis of Apple’s Inc. operations processes, interesting subjects and complications show that the accomplishment of its supply chain processes is contingent on how well the managers control the supplier and customer relationship. This comprises of early supplier participation in innovative product development, proximal communication and supplier performance upgrading or enhancement via evaluation of the current system. In the close future, the mix of universal strategies to propel the company operations will certainly give Apple Inc. the improvement it needs to supports its consumer’s demands. The leadership strategy, the outsourcing strategy, the differentiation strategy and the customer-centered services are major areas identified within the operations management docket. Positively addressing these particular issues while maintaining a high quality service center at the same time is essential to the company’s improvement objectives for products understandability especially for the software and hardware. Apple’s new products and services can be expected soon that would introduce a new model of technology on leading front. Honesty in operations management is vital to enabling the smooth processes involved the Company’s internal controls. Decisively, the manager has the role to help prevent or minimize any errors or fraud by detecting them at early stages before they turn into something that would alarm the senior management. It is worth noting that a control system, no matter how well designed and developed, can deliver only sensible, not absolute, reassurance that the purposes or goals of the business operations are duly met. One other vital factor highlighted in the report content is the importance of maintaining fair activity costs for the operational system. The system depicts resource constraints as a main feature in particular locations which hinders and limits sale of products to customers due to ignorance or lack of ready acceptance. The evaluation of internal controls within the operational platform of the Apple Company helps the managers predict and illustrate the future expectations of the business. The change in business conditions also poses a vital topic of how to evaluate the effectiveness of business controls in the future periods in the case there might be any risk involved. The Apple Company assesses the enactment of its functioning parts or subdivisions in relation to the operating income and the net sales. The Retail section overall sales are established on the sales made and retrieved from the Apple Company’s retail stores. On the other hand, the overall net transactions for the geographic divisions are commonly based on the setting of clienteles. The business operating income for every section comprises of the operating expenditure openly attributable to the each department related to business operations. Additionally, the overall net sales to third parties and the related cost of sales and other expenses; for example, advertising expenditures are normally incorporated in the geographical area in which the expenses or operational costs are incurred. Recommendations The recommended approaches for the firm to take to improvise its operations would involve multiple departments or segments in the organization. The operating income for each section ignores other expenses and income which are managed outside the functioning segments. This ought to be looked at and be addressed. The first and foremost section is the communication sector, which has to be kept running at all times to ensure the passage and exchange of information within the organization during operations. Since the Company deliberates the weakening in market share value of its in demand securities investment portfolio to be provisional in nature, the Company characteristically capitalizes in highly-rated securities. This policy usually restricts the amount of regular investors who can acquire stocks. The Company’s investment plans require the shareholders to practice the highest form of activity performance with the chief objective of reducing the possible risk of principal loss. Other areas recommended for change include: The shipping costs should be kept low for all the periods presented. The aggregates payable to clienteles linked to the shipping and handling cost of goods or services are usually categorized as revenue. Therefore, the Company’s handling and shipping costs should be kept low to minimize operational expenses while maximizing profit returns. The warranty expense also forms an essential part of the Company’s overall estimated cost for either a hardware or software component sold to clients. The warranties for most hardware and software applications ought to be assessed for adequacy with regards to the pre-existing warranty liabilities. This goes a long way in ensuring that the actual changes in future estimates and client experience are easily tracked. The operational costs incurred in software development and research of new application by the company also need be regulated. There are occasions where heavily funded research results into dead ends. Therefore, the development costs of PC software, to be leased, sold or else marketed, are highly exposed to capitalization by the company. This instigates when a product’s technological viability is recognized and proven then ends with the product availability to general clienteles. Consequently, expenses incurred following the accomplishment of a technological practicability are generally not important. The firm ought to look into the spending on most software and application development prices and what effect they have on the returns anticipated from the finalized product or service. References Boyer, K. K., & Verma, R. (2010).  Operations & Supply chain management for the 21st century. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Cengage Learning. Greasley, A. (2008).  Operations management. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. O’Grady, J. D. (2009).  Apple Inc. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Linzmayer, O. W. (2004).  Apple Confidential 2.0: The definitive history of the world’s most colorful company. San Francisco, Calif: No Starch Press. Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., & Hitt, M. A. (2008).  Understanding business strategy: Concepts and cases. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Nersesian, R. L. (2000).  Trends and tools for operations management: An updated guide for executives and managers. Westport, Conn: Quorum Books. Kamauff, J. W. (2010).  Manager’s guide to operations management. New York: McGraw-Hill Anderson, M. A., Parker, G., & Anderson, E. G. (2013).  Operations management for dummies. Cooke, J. T. H. (2012).  Operations management: The art & science of making things happen: what the business schools don’t teach you to survive and flourish. Young, S. T. (2009).  Essentials of operations management. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Cao, M., & Zhang, Q. (2013).  Supply chain collaboration: Roles of inter organizational systems, trust, and collaborative culture. London: Springer. Cousins, P. D., Lawson, B., & Squire, B. (2006).  Supply chain management theory and practice: The emergence of an academic discipline?. Bradford, England: Emerald Group Pub. Mahadevan, B. (2010).  Operations management: Theory and practice. Upper Saddle River: Pearson. Heap, P. C. (2008).  Globalization and summit reform: An experiment in international governance. New York: Springer. Lashinsky, A. (2012).  Inside Apple: How America’s most admired-and secretive-company really works. New York: Business Plus. Nicolà ¡s Marà ­n Ximà ©nez, J., & J. Sanz, L. (2014). Financial decision-making in a high-growth company: the case of Apple incorporated.  Management Decision,52(9), 1591-1610. Latif, M., Jaskani, J. H., Ilyas, T., Babar, Z. K., & Gulzar, H. (2014). Issues faced by Apple Inc in smart phones industry.  International Journal of Accounting and Financial Reporting,  4(2), Pages-50. Abraham, M. (2014). Five Leadership skills that made Steve Jobs transform Apple. Cornelissen, J. (2014).  Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice. Sage. Source document

Film Critique for “the Golden Compass”

Film Critique for â€Å"The Golden Compass† The Motion Picture of â€Å"The Golden Compass† is based on Philip Pullman’s novel â€Å"Northern Lights† (The first part in his novel trilogy â€Å"His Dark Materials†) and was rated pg-13 (indicating that the material within the film could be unsuitable for children under the age of thirteen (Murray, 2012)), the movie was released to theaters in December of 2007. This movie has been categorized as a Family, fantasy adventure (Carraro & Weitz, 2007); however, there have been serious debates about the religious aspects of the story, whether or not it should be geared for younger audiences and how the film eviscerated the novel’s version of the story’s backbone (Rotten Tomatoes, 2012). Also read this  com/voices-freedom-critique/">Critique of Stuff Is Not Salvation I will be reviewing all aspects of the movie including the storytelling, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, style and directing, impact of society on the film and vice versa, the genre and the overall textural themes to get a full understanding of the film and to show that in a whole, it was a very good story and was a fun movie to watch. The director’s vision of the story is how a film comes to life. Their purpose is not simply to help the writer tell the story but also to make the audience care about the story by giving the story meaning† (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011, sec. 2. 5 para. 1). This film’s story is about a girl named Lyra Belacqua (played by Dakota Blue Richards) who is about twelve years old. Residing in a universe parallel to our own ruled by the Magisterium, people’s spirits reside on the outside of their bodies and walk beside them as companions in the form of animals (the type of animals depends on the person) known as â€Å"Daemon s†. Lyra was brought up as an orphan living amongst scholars at the Jordan College in Oxford. Lyra’s need for adventure hits a little closer to home than she had hoped when she realizes the hushed whispers of adults and members of the Magisterium speaking of dust and children who are going missing start to become pieces in a puzzle that lyra is determined to solve and with any luck, remedy the troubles that are being caused. Aided by colorful and unusual characters such as the Gyptians (comparable to what we know as gypsies), witches, an armored bear by the name of Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Ian McKellen) and an airman named Lee Scoresby (played by Sam Elliot), Lyra must use the golden compass (also known as an Alethiometer, it was secretly given to her by her uncle, Lord Asriel to reveal the truth of any question she asks the compass) to find the truth and save the children being kidnapped by the gobblers (the kidnappers are a part of the Magisterium). The actors in this film did an amazing job in the roles they played. Marisa Coulter (played by Nicole Kidman) makes for a gorgeous, classy, prestigious, intriguing and scary villain. Kidman’s Kidman not only plays the leader of the gobblers but it is also found out later in the movie that she is also Lyra’s mother. Then there is Lord Asriel, A well-dressed handsome man who plays Lyra’s uncle (however, we find out later that he is in fact Lyra’s father) and a well-known explorer. He studied and did research about the mysterious â€Å"dust† and the Arctic North (Carraro & Weitz, 2007). Lyra’s character plays a pretty and hard-headed stubborn girl who is hell bent on stopping the gobblers and Mrs. Coulter from cutting the children’s deamons away from them and she also has serious ideas about locating and finding the purpose of the dust. There is also Iorek Byrnison and Lee Scoresby who appear to have known eachother from sometime in the past. They are both head strong characters and willing to fight for the greater good and aid Lyra in her travels to stop the gobblers. Iorek is a Big armored polar bear and Lee is and older airman. The cinematography used for this movie was quite extensive. There were 1,100 to 1,200 CG [computer-generated] shots, average for a film like this, but the level of complexity far exceeded most, there's an animated character in just about every one of those shots† (Miller, 2012, para. 4). So this made making the film more extensive as far as the cinematography goes and there were many different shots ranging from close-u p (there were many close-ups of several characters throughout the film), mid-range shots (especially when there was more than one character on the screen at any given time), as well as distant or long range shots (like when Lyra rode the rmored bear through the snow to find out what was in the cabin away from a camp site she was staying at). There were also shots angled upward (such as when Lyra and her friend were sitting on a rooftop together) and downward angled shots (such as when a mechanical spy bug was slapped to the ground and there was a downward angle shot of it lying on the ground) (Carraro ; Weitz, 2007). The cinematography used in this film suited every aspect of the movie. Everything moved through the film very smoothly and the cinematography really made the scenes pop and kept me on the edge of my seat. The film editors for the film â€Å"The Golden Compass† are Anne V. Coates, Peter Honess and Kevin Tent. Anne V. Coates is a very well know veteran film editor â€Å"with an editing career of 63 years––and still counting––Coates arguably has been working in cutting rooms longer than anyone else in film history† (Lewis, 2010, para. 1). However, Coates was removed for the editing of the â€Å"The Golden Compass† early on in the editing process and actually stated that even though she learned a great deal from â€Å"The Golden Compass† and it was an amazing experience working with large quantities of editing with special effects, it was actually a frustrating process for Coates due to the amount of work involving the special effects people as opposed to just editing a standard film with much less special effects being used (Connolly, 2011). Peter Honess, known for editing such movies as â€Å"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets† and â€Å"Troy† as well as Kevin Tent known for editing such movies as â€Å"The Descendants† and â€Å"Sideways† were brought in on â€Å"The Golden Compass† to finish up the post production editing for the film. While the finished product the film had many audiences asking when they would see the sequel to the film, there were many critics talking about how â€Å"the end result is a bumpy road, with many emotional highs but also quite a few lows, and a saga that despite good ingredients lacks narrative smoothness or fluidity, reaffirming that Weitz is not the right director for the job† (Levy, 2012, para. 22) not to mention the several parts of the film cut due to the mass controversies regarding religious groups. The editors of this film did not receive their due credit because of the direction of the film and the cutting that was required to make the film â€Å"suitable† for public audiences. It took an amazing amount of people to create all of the different forms of sound used in â€Å"The Golden Compass. † Ranging from the Foley editor, the sound mixer, to the sound effects editor, there are many more people that were just needed for sound work alone. There are quite literally 56 different jobs for this movie, just in regards to sound for the film. This just goes to show you the amount of work that is put into the making of a film. I am going to discuss the three major elements of sound used in a film which involve the score, sound effects and Dialogue (Goodykoontz, ; Jacobs, 2011). Alexandre Desplat is the brilliant composer of the â€Å"score† (music used in the backgrounds of scenes) that is utilized in this film and is used throughout the films entirety. In fact, â€Å"Desplat follows Shore's lead in the incorporation of a surprisingly detailed and large collection of themes, weaving them into the narrative with such efficiency that a person familiar with the film can easily follow the action through the score† (Clemmensen, 2008, para. ). Experiencing the music used for the score is truly amazing, even by itself. There is also a whole lot of use of sound effects throughout the film and a small handful of people working on them. A big part of the reason so many sound effects were used in this film is because so many of the characters used in the film were CG (Computer generated) so it was impor tant to recreate the sounds that these characters would have made had they been real. Again, Ioreck the polar ice bear is a prime example of this. When Iorek and Ragnar (The polar ice king) get into their battle to the death they are not only both created by computers so there very presence require sound effects but there is a lot of sound effects used with their armor clanking together throughout the battle scene. While the sound effects do play a very substantial role in the making of this film, they appear flawless and really added to the depth of the film. The dialogue is also beautiful in this film. The characters have sort of English accents (which suits the London type setting). The dialogue used suites the characters well down to the way they are dressed. However, on a side note, I find it odd that they are from an alternate universe that has an impeccable resemblance and feel to our very own London, England. Lyra and her friends speak as if children would, grammatically incorrect and the adults speak prestigiously and very dignified (most of which are scholars). In its entirety, the all the use of sound was very well utilized and complimented every aspect of the film. Director Chris Weitz was really excited about making this particular film because he is a really big fan of the books the movie was based off of. With a budget of 180 million dollars for the film, Chris Weitz knew that there was going to be a lot of work needed to be put into the film. â€Å"It's really hard to make a movie,† Weitz says. â€Å"It's hard enough to make a small, bad one — trying to make a big, good one is definitely a challenge to your physical and mental stamina† (Edwards, 2007, para. ). While there are many who wonder as to whether or not Weitz was the man for this particular job, mainly because Weitz is best known for his raunchy comedy movies such as the â€Å"American Pie† series, Weitz was such a huge fan of the trilogy he was confident that he could get the job done right (Edwards, 2007). Unfortunately, due to the mass controversy of this film it is difficult to discern why this movie was so disastrous when looking at how it did in th e box office. Some blame Weitz and his lack of knowledge in the field of special effects, some blame the media and the Catholic church for the role they played in trying to have the movie stopped and some blame New Line Cinema (the production company) for forcing Weitz to water down the script due to trying to appease people who were worried and controversial of the religious (or lack thereof) aspects the film would bring to the big screen. In doing so, Weitz said that he did not have control over the films style or editing. Chris Weitz states that New Line Cinema felt they could not be a part of a film that caused controversy in the religious word but that the film would have been very different if he would have had the final say and cut of the film. Essentially in the long run Weitz was asked if he had regrets about the film, Weitz reply was â€Å"It's the greatest professional regret that I have. â€Å"He compared directing to being Charles I of England, quipping: â€Å"Parliament can always cut your head off† (Nissim, 2011, para. 4). The impact the movie had and still has on society is extraordinarily controversial. Because the movie is a fantasy adventure there were large quantities of people who took the movie at face value for its non-stop adventure and intriguing storyline. However, there were larger quantities of people who felt as if the movie was controversial due to the religious aspects people took from the movie. Bill Donohue (president and CEO of the Catholic League) stated that â€Å"these books denigrate Christianity, thrash the Catholic Church and sell the virtues of atheism† (FoxNews. com, 2007, para. 3). However, due to the controversies that arose from the announcement of the film’s production, the religious aspects of the film were stripped from the script. â€Å"Some atheists and fans of the books aren't happy, either. They say the studio has caved to pressure from the Christian right by sanitizing the tale for the big screen† (FoxNews. com, 2007 para. 8,). Pullman (the author of the book based on the film) was pleased with how the movie was done. He stated in an interview that â€Å"this must be the only film attacked in the same week for being too religious and for being anti-religious — and by people who haven’t seen it† (FoxNews. om, 2007, para. 16). The genre of this film is a mixture between family, fantasy, and adventure. While deemed a family film, it is not geared for younger children in regards to the story because it does involve children being kidnapped and adults removing the essence (spirit or as they are called in the film daemons) of life from the children. As stated previously, the film was rated PG-13. The film also depicts (although in non-detailed manner) the children’s essence (often interpreted as spirit) and referrers to them as daemons (pronounce dee-mons). So the movie may be considered offensive to religious families. However, in a whole, if the age group is right, it is a fun family movie. The fantasy of the film is magnificent excluding the actual town they reside in which seems rather of the norm, of (like I have mentioned before) a London set town and streets. There are a lot of characters and creatures in this film that are solely done by CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) and they are absolutely amazing. The daemons (spirit or essence) that walk around with their humans are of all different forms of animals creatures depending on the character of the individual. Lyra’s daemon however, can change shapes to appear in any form because she is still young (changing from a cat to a moth and even an ermine), adults daemons settle into a single form and no longer changes. There is also Iorek the polar ice bear who wears a magnificent coat of armor made for him alone. Last but not least, the adventure parts of the film. We watch see Lyra in her home town with her friends and the stuffy scholars (adults) she is surrounded by. We soon see Lyra get to experience life outside of the Magisterium (the school) with Mrs. Coulter. When Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter is the head of the gobblers (the kidnappers), we see her escape and start her mission to save the other children from the gobblers and from them taking the children’s daemons from them. We see an amazing polar ice bear fight between Iorek and the polar ice bear king in which is a fight to the death and even a small war between witches, and Gyptians and even few flying (what looks to be) pirate ships called air ships. This film truly fits its genre. Taking a look at this film from a formalist approach shows us the in-depth aspects of the film (Goodykoontz, & Jacobs, 2011). The structure of the film is balanced in regards to the aspects of use of fantasy and adventure used in the story. The fact that the storyline is based in parallel universe, the background of the town that the characters reside is lacking. It looks like a small town in England as opposed to what one would expect a town might look in a parallel universe like say, compared to Hogwarts in the â€Å"Harry Potter† movies and the magical world used in those films. However, the use of the daemons and magical creatures like Iorek the polar ice bear bring us to a better understanding of the â€Å"magical† feel of the world. The use of the characters to progress through the story made the film easier to follow in the respect that the actors playing the characters made the film come to life. Essentially, the film was good, but was better not having expectations (having not read the â€Å"His Dark Materials† trilogy) going into the film. I personally felt that the movie was well done, but I too, went nto the movie not knowing of the controversy surrounding the religious aspects of the film and was unaware of the film being based on a series of books. The overall textual theme of the film was fairly well laid out. The story was told in a manner in which you expect to see more of the story later down the road (in a sequel that would not be made). There are several discussions regarding dust throughout the film that obviously plays a majo r role but is not explained in depth in the film. The Mise-en-scene used throughout the film fits together well with the storyline. The characters, backgrounds and props used throughout the film carried the story in and out of the adventures we see Lyra embark on and allow the audience to experience a world not yet explored. The villain (Mrs. Coulter) was portrayed in such a way that the audience loves to hate and the hero’s (Lyra, Iorek and Lee) made the adventures progress and fun to follow. The camera use throughout the film is impeccable. With all different kinds of shots ranging from close-up scenes of the characters to mid and long range shots as well as jump-cuts from scenes of Lyra on her adventures to the villain trying to attempting to locate Lyra. The overall theme, while lacking in some aspects of background (in the town the main characters reside) and explanation of certain aspects such as the dust which seems to be very important and how and why the daemons, were there and there importance because it is shown at one point in the film that the children can survive without their daemons if removed correctly. The movie was entertaining and tells enough storyline to not be confusing. In conclusion, this film had a lot of aspects of society and controversy and in turn the lack of storyline working against its success. The money and hard work that it took to make this film should have been an enough to put this film on top where it should have been. But because the director had set out to make a film based on the story of a book and the studio decided that too much controversy would rise if the story was told like the book, the true religious aspects were stripped from the film and so the true storyline was stripped as well. But like I stated earlier, if the audience goes into the film with no expectations and no previous history of knowing what the film was supposed to be about, the film is well worth the watch. Reviewing all aspects of what the movie has to offer; from the storytelling, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, style and directing, impact of society on the film and vice versa, the genre and the overall textural themes, this is truly an adventure that will keep you watching and enjoying the family film with every fun character from the interesting and exciting Lyra to the big polar ice bears that battle and the beautiful villain that we love to hate. This film was extremely fun to watch.

An Artificial Satellite

An Artificial Satellite An artificial satellite is an object that has been put into orbit in outer space by human effort. A remote sensing satellite contains within it sensors that enable it to collect information about an object without physical contact with the object.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on An Artificial Satellite specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are two types of sensors i.e. passive sensors and active sensors. Passive sensors are designed to acquire information about natural phenomena while active sensors acquire information concerning artificial objects. The following is a compilation of some import satellites: ‘SPOT’ boasts two high resolution geometrical (HRG) instruments which offer high resolutions of between two and a half, and five meters (in panchromatic mode), and ten meters (in multispectral mode), twenty meters (on short wave infrared). Due to its high resolution capabilities, the SPOT-5 can be used in monitoring and assessment of crops (F. Achard, 1995). ‘LANDSAT 7’- it was equipped with both MSS and TM sensors. It has a panchromatic band with fifteen meters (49 feet) spatial resolution (band 8), (reflected light) bands in the spectrum of blue, green, red, near-infrared (NIR), and mid-infrared (MIR) with thirty meters (98 feet) spatial resolution (bands 1-5, 7), and a thermal infrared channel with sixty meters spatial resolution (band 6). The Landsat 7 was designed to capture and refresh cloud-free images of the earth (Irons, 2013). ‘NOAA’ is equipped with AVHRR/2 (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer), TOVS, SSU, and MSU sensors. The instruments on NOAA observe the earth’s cloud cover and temperature changes to study climate change patterns. Other applications for the sensors include the surveillance of land terrain and oceans. The AVHRR instruments are currently capable of capturing ground images with resolutions of up to 1100 m eters (National Environmental Satellite, Data, And information Service , 2013). ‘IKONOS’- boasts spoting 0.8 meters panchromatic (1-meter PAN), four meter multispectral (4m MS), and a one meter pan-sharpened (1-m PS) sensors (Kramer, 2002). It was created with the main purpose of capturing high-resolution images of the earth. ‘ADEOS 2’ was designed to monitor the biomass in the carbon cycle, earth’s water cycle and the trends in climate variation. To do this it was loaded with an Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS), an Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer (AVNIR), Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS), Retroreflector in Space (RIS), Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), and Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases (IMG) sensors (Earth observation satellite, 2003). ‘RADARSAT’- this Satellite has a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Its highest resolution is one meter in Spotlight mode, three meters in Ultra Fi ne mode with a hundred meter positional accuracy requirement (Radsat-2, 2011). Radarsat is implemented in marine surveillance, mapping, and monitoring of resources. ‘Quickbird’- this satellite is capable of capturing high quality and high-resolution images (between 2.4 meters to 2.8 meters), thanks to its PAN (panchromatic) sensor. Due to the high level of detail that can be captured, the images are mainly utilized in map making, and mapping of resources. Satellites provide useful and accurate information that would otherwise be inaccessible; this has led to increased safety and efficiency in human activities. The integration of Global Positioning Systems into portable devices is the most is a good example. With the information collected by these satellites governments have been able to predict natural disasters and take preemptive measures, thereby avoiding human suffering and massive loss of life. Refrences Earth observation satellite. (2003). Web. F. Achard, J. M. ( 1995). A Mission for the Global Monitoring of the Continental Biosphere. Web. Irons, J. R. (2013). about. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Web. Kramer, H. J. (2002). Survey of missions and sensors. Observation of the earth and its environment (p. 286).Advertising Looking for assessment on astronomy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More National Environmental Satellite, Data, And information Service . (2013). NOAA Satellite and Information Service. Web. Radsat-2. (2011). Canadian Space Agancy. Web.

Writing Dialogue In Accents and Dialect

Writing Dialogue In Accents and Dialect Writing Dialogue In Accents and Dialect Writing Dialogue In Accents and Dialect By Kate Evans Wen old man Rabbit say scoot, dey scooted, en wen ole Miss Rabbit say scat, dey scatted. Dey did dat. En dey kep der cloze clean, and day aint had no smut on der nose nudder. Uncle Remus A  Story About Little Rabbits, Joel Chandler Harris. We have a long literary tradition of writing dialogue in accents and dialect. Mark Twain comes to mind, as a master of the written idiom. Dialect instantly gives characters authenticity and offers insight into their attitudes, background, and education. An accent allows the reader to use their sense of hearing and gives text depth and flavor. On the other hand, using dialects and accents is often a distraction. When accented words are spelled phonetically, they can frustrate and slow the reader down. If accents are inaccurate or inauthentic, they can stereotype or even insult. With all of these risks, writing dialects has largely gone out of fashion. So what is a writer to do instead? The first step would be to describe patterns of speech in prose. For example, her honeyed accent melted off of her tongue, slowly, sweetly, and with the same elongated syllables that her mama used. Already, the character has an established geographical place and a hint of her history. From then on, the reader can hear and even visualize the honeyed accent. Another tactic is to reflect dialect with commonly spoken words in commonly spelled ways. A writer could insert gonna for going to. The reader registers these words easily but the speech pattern can also convey information about the characters. Finally, a writer can pay close attention to phrases and idioms that pertain to a characters geographic location or time in history. Phrases, such as shes dumber than a bucket of hair, bless her heart, places someone in the American South. The craic is mighty, puts someone in modern day Ireland. When carefully researched and used advantageously, simple colloquial phrases can carry as much weight as paragraphs of complicated written dialect. While we dont want to lose the art of conveying speech patterns through the written word, in todays world, there are more subtle ways to illustrate character traits. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†Homogeneous vs. HeterogeneousDouble Possessive

China and Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

China and Globalization - Essay Example Hence, regardless of the final outcome, the Third Plenum and its aftermath represent a defining moment in the history of the economic modernization of China. At first, Deng supported modernization with negligible central involvement so as to eliminate the barriers created by centralization, which had pushed China to its 1978 crisis. Eventually, the emphasis remained on modernization, yet with centralized macro-control. Deng had successfully loosened the grip of central planners, who had attempted to diminish, disrupt, and unsettle his Western-based market socialism (Zhang 38). Deng’s approaches to economic modernization were rooted in the idea that the inflexibility of Mao Tse Tsung’s economic policy should be abandoned. Mao Tse Tung enforced balancing socialist ideals in a state of China’s historical economic retardation. Thus, the emerging status of China as a global leader started with the vision of Deng Xiaoping when he became the Communist Party’s frontrunner in 1978 (Waters 2). With Deng’s rise to power, China started its journey toward global leadership. On the 10th of October 1978, Deng tersely discussed one facet of his agenda for China. To progress, he thought, China had to attain what he referred to as the four ‘modernization’—modernization of science and technology, national defense, agriculture, and industry (Waters 2). He believed that China should gain knowledge of other countries’ best practices and acquire massive foreign support. As a point of departure for progress, he supported the launching of latest technology and facilities as created by other countries. Deng’s recommendation, especially with regard to gaining knowledge from other countries and launching cutting-edge technology, is still considered by incumbent Chinese leaders (Zhang 44). On the 23rd of October 1985, Deng stressed to his government officials that nothing separates a market